Cheese

600 feet above sea level, at the base of “Napoleon’s Nose” in Basque country, you’ll find Fromagerie Mont Royal Tradition where this firm raw sheep’s milk tomme is made. The recipe started off as an attempt to replicate Roquefort, but resulted in a much milder paste with smooth, fruity notes, not without some distinct sheepiness. Its closest relative is Ossau Iraty Vielle, another of the region’s traditional natural rind, sheep tommes. The cheese’s fruity aspects are fittingly paired with Black Cherry Confit and some of the region’s fruitier rosés. Read More

Aged for 2 years which is the max the affineur will allow. The enormous wheels of raw cows' milk have a firm texture, leaving flavors that can range from dense (smoke and onions), to sweeter, with notes of chocolate and hazelnuts. Read More

Don't bid us adieu until you've tasted this complex and peppery goat tomme from the town that sounds like goodbye. Similar to its popular regional neighbor, Pyrenees Brebis, but offering a uniquely goaty tang and a sweet, musty departure. Read More

Goaty, blue and creamy, this cheese is new to us and is an immediate cult classic among our mongers. It is made by the same traditional farmstead cheesemaker that produces our Brie de Fermier and has just as much complexity. With a pleasing peppery salinity and a finish that stretches to infinity, this cheese will wow goat and blue lovers alike. Try with an off-dry sparking rose or a port-based cocktail. Read More

After over a millennium of development, your rind would be a little wrinkled, too. This pasteurized goat’s milk cylinder—called a “bonde” in the world of French cheesemaking—made its debut in eighth-century France, just south of the Loire in Poitou. Read More

Why the hexagon? Perhaps the perfect simplicity of this pasteurized goat's milk cheese from Lyon had the cheesemakers worried. No gimmicks necessary, in our opinion. A creamy to runny interior with a rind as tender and fine as any Brie. Read More

A rich riff on traditional Munster, which has been made since around 850 A.D. when local monasteries developed the cheese with regular beer baths in their cellars. This ultra-meaty version, produced by Fromi, is a tad lighter in flavor than traditional, hair-curling Munster, and it’s washed and aged in the cellar of a vineyard, much like its forebears. Under its straw-yellow exterior that’s marked with a telltale fern leaf, dig into its semi-soft, tacky paste and spread on crusty rye bread with smoked ham and pickles for a holy, hearty repast—don’t forget to pour a mug of Trappist Ale to swig along side it. Read More

We’ve got butterflies just thinking about these creamy little rounds from Fromagerie Papillon, France’s renowned producer of Roquefort. Traditionally made when the herd wasn’t producing large enough quantities of milk for Roquefort, the soft-ripened wheels are crafted from pasteurized ewe’s milk in the rocky hillsides of Causses. Similar to Brebirousse d’Argental, or an unwashed Reblochon, the sheep’s rich milk imparts a sweet, sheepy character to the buttery-smooth paste that makes an unparalleled pair with bubbly wines. Read More

Murray’s first European Cavemaster Reserve in almost 10 years, this sheepy stunner comes to us “green” from the Pyrenees, and spends two months growing a beautiful mold-mottled rind in our caves. The toothsome paste is redolent of sweet cashews, with a firmly acidic backbone, a perfect pair with a lively Jurançon. Read More